Nail Manicure Apparatus and Methods

ABSTRACT

Various apparatus and methods are provided for nail manicures. In one embodiment, an apparatus for French manicures includes a clamping mechanism configured to clamp around a digit of a person; and a first guide edge affixed to a first end of the clamping mechanism, where the first guide edge is aligned with a tip of a nail when the clamping mechanism is clamped onto the digit. In another embodiment, an apparatus for French manicures includes a grip configured to align with a digit of a person; and a first concave guide edge affixed to a first end of the grip, where the first concave guide edge is aligned with a tip of a nail when the grip is aligned with the digit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application entitled “NAIL MANICURE APPARATUS AND METHODS” having Ser. No. 61/142,491, filed Jan. 5, 2009, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Many people enjoy the pleasure of receiving a manicure of their finger and toe nails. While there are many styles of manicure, many women prefer a French manicure because of its simple and natural look. French manicures are traditionally characterized by natural pink base nails with white tips. To produce the desired effect, white polish is applied to the tips of finger and/or toe nails. However, maintaining a clean line when applying the polish to the tips to the nails is difficult without extensive training or experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a manicure guide 100 for a French manicure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the manicure guide of FIG. 1 secured to a finger according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of another exemplary embodiment of the manicure guide of FIG. 1 including two guide edges according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of another exemplary embodiment of a manicure guide according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an end-view of the exemplary embodiment of a manicure guide of FIG. 4 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of another manicure guide for a French manicure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of the manicure guide of FIG. 6 having a different guide edge according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8-10 are illustrations of other exemplary embodiments of the manicure guide of FIG. 6 including two guide edges according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is an illustration of another exemplary embodiment of a manicure guide including rotating edge guides according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of apparatus and methods related to manicures of finger and toe nails. Reference will now be made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numbers indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Preparation for a French manicure can include removing old polish, cleaning, and/or trimming a nail. After the preparation is complete, a basecoat of polish is applied to the nail. The basecoat may be a clear polish or a sheer polish that is colored either pale pink or light beige. Alternatively, other colors may be applied as desired. Traditionally, white polish is then applied to the tips of the nails. In one example, the white polish may be applied to the tip of the nail as a curved strip of that follows the curved edge of the nail. In another example, the white polish may be applied to the tip of the nail to produce a straight line across the nail. Alternatively, other colors may be used on the tips such as, but not limited to, a lighter shade of pink, white, beige or any other color as desired. Additional coats of polish may then be applied to seal and protect the manicure.

Polish may be applied to the tip of the nail using a guide to produce a clean line along the inner edge of the applied polish. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a manicure guide 100 for a French manicure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the manicure guide 100 includes a clamping mechanism 110 configured to clamp around a finger and/or toe and hold the manicure guide 100 in position during use. In one embodiment, the clamping mechanism 110 is a cylindrical clip, with both ends open, that opens and closes to neatly surround the nail and digit. The size of the manicure guide may vary to provide for digits of different sizes. The clamping mechanism 110 may be constructed from metal, plastic, or other suitable material. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the clamping force is applied by a spring 120. Other embodiments may utilize other means for applying the clamping force such as, but not limited to, other spring configurations. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, tabs are provided for opening the clamping mechanism 110.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a guide edge 130 is affixed to one end of the clamping mechanism 110. In one embodiment, the guide edge 130 is permanently affixed to the clamping mechanism 110. For example, the guide edge 130 may be attached to the clamping mechanism 110 using an adhesive such as, but not limited to, glue or epoxy. In other embodiments, the guide edge 130 may be detachably affixed to the clamping mechanism 110 to allow for replacement and/or substitution of the guide edge 130. In one embodiment, among others, the guide edge 130 may include a groove that grips the clamping mechanism 110. In other embodiments, a groove or channel may be included on the end of the clamping mechanism 110 to grip the guide edge 130. In another embodiment, a plurality of pins or tabs may extend from the end of the clamping mechanism 110 to align with corresponding holes in the guide edge 130. Other combinations and variations are possible and are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The guide edge 130 may be a flexible material such as, but not limited to, rubber, vinyl, or other suitable material to adjust to the size and curvature of the nail.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the manicure guide 100 of FIG. 1 secured to a finger 210 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the manicure guide 100 surrounds the nail 220 and finger 210 to securely align the manicure guide 100 along the axis of the finger 210. When clamped in place on finger 210, the guide edge 130(a) conforms to the surface of nail 220 to provide a guiding edge against which polish may be applied to the tip of the nail 220. As shown in FIG. 2, only the tip of the nail 220 is exposed to receive polish. In an embodiment illustrated in the cross-sectional view 240, the guide edge 130 tapers from a thicker side 230(a) affixed to the clamping mechanism 110 to a thinner edge 230(b) against which the polish may be applied. In other embodiments, the guiding edge 130 may be rounded (illustrated in the cross-sectional view 250) or a constant thickness. Once the manicure guide 100 has been securely positioned, the user can apply polish to the tip of the nail 220 in the French manicure fashion.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a single guide edge 130(a) is affixed to one end of the clamping mechanism 110. The exemplary guide edge 130(a) of FIG. 2 has a curved design to allow a curved strip of polish of that follows the curved edge of the nail to be applied. FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the manicure guide 100 of FIG. 1 including two guide edges 130(a) and 130(b) affixed to the clamping mechanism 110. The embodiment of FIG. 3 includes both the curved guide edge 130(a) of FIG. 2 and a straight guide edge 130(b) to allow a straight edge to be applied across the nail. In alternate embodiments, the manicure guide 100 includes two curved guide edges where each guide edge has a different curvature.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of another exemplary embodiment of a manicure guide 400 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The manicure guide 400 includes a clamping mechanism 410 configured to clamp around a finger and/or toe and hold the manicure guide 400 in position during use. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the sides of the clamping mechanism 410 press against the top and bottom of the digit to secure the manicure guide 400 in position rather than the sides of the digit as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a curved guide edge 430(a) and a straight guide edge 430(b) are affixed to opposite ends of one side of the clamping mechanism 410. In one embodiment, guide edges 430(a) and 430(b) include a flexible material 433 attached to a backing layer 436. The flexible material 433 may be, but is not limited to, rubber, vinyl, or other suitable material to adjust to the size and curvature of the nail. The backing layer 436 may be constructed from metal, plastic, or other suitable material. The guide edges 430(a) and 430(b) may be detachably affixed to the clamping mechanism 410 to allow for replacement and/or substitution of the guide edge 430. For example, guide edge 430(a) may be affixed to one side of the clamping mechanism 410 along edge 490 by one or more tabs and corresponding alignment recesses configured to receive the corresponding tab. In one embodiment, guide edge 430(a) includes the tab(s) and the edge 490 of one side of the clamping device 410 includes the corresponding recess(es). In other embodiments, the guide edge 430 may include the alignment recess(es), while the corresponding tab(s) extends from the edge 490 of the clamping mechanism 410.

FIG. 5 is an end-view of the exemplary manicure guide of FIG. 4. In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, a clamping force is applied to the clamping mechanism 410 by a spring (not shown) or other appropriate means. As noted above, circular edge guide 430(a) may be detachably affixed to one side of the clamping mechanism 410. In one embodiment, the straight edge guide 430(b) may be detachably affixed to the same side of the clamping mechanism 410 along edge 493. Alternatively, the positions of the circular edge guide 430(a) and the straight edge guide 430(b) may be reversed on the clamping mechanism 410.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of another manicure guide 600 for a French manicure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The manicure guide 600 includes a grip 610 and a guide edge 620 affixed to one end of the grip 610.

In one embodiment, the guide edge 620 is permanently affixed to that grip 610. For example, the guide edge 620 may be attached to the grip 610 using an adhesive such as, but not limited to, glue or epoxy. Alternatively, the grip 610 may be crimped around the guide edge 620 to secure the guide edge 620 in position. In other embodiments, the guide edge 620 may be detachably affixed to the grip 610 to allow for replacement and/or substitution of the guide edge 620. In one embodiment, among others, the guide edge 620 may include a groove that fits over the end of the grip 610 to hold the guide edge 620 in position. In other embodiments, a groove or channel may be included on the end of the grip 610 to grip the guide edge 620. In another embodiment, a plurality of pins or tabs may extend from the end of the grip 610 to align with corresponding holes in the guide edge 620. Other combinations and variations are possible and are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. The guide edge 620 may be a flexible material such as, but not limited to, rubber, vinyl, or other suitable material to adjust to the size and curvature of the nail.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the guide edge 620 is concave 630 to provide a neat seal when placed against a nail to be polished. In one embodiment, the grip 610 also has a concave shape to facilitate alignment of the manicure guide 600 with the respective toe and/or finger. When aligned with a digit, the guide edge 620 may be pressed against the surface of the corresponding nail. The guide edge conforms to the nail to provide a guiding edge against which polish may be applied to the tip of the nail. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the manicure guide 600 is positioned so that only the tip of the toe and/or finger nail is exposed to receive polish. Once the manicure guide 600 has been securely positioned, the user can apply polish to the tip of the nail in the French manicure fashion.

In one embodiment, the guide edge 620 tapers 650 from a thicker side 640(a) affixed to the grip 610 to a thinner edge 640(b) against which the polish may be applied (e.g., see the cross-sectional view 240 of FIG. 2). In other embodiments, the guiding edge 620 may be rounded 660 (e.g., see the cross-sectional view 250 of FIG. 2) or a constant thickness 670.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, guide edge 620(a) has a curved design to allow a curved strip of polish of that follows the curved edge of the nail to be applied. Alternatively, the embodiment of FIG. 7 illustrates the manicure guide 600 with a straight guide edge 620(b) to allow a straight edge to be applied across the nail.

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate other exemplary embodiments of the manicure guide 600 of FIG. 6 including two guide edges according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, two guide edges 620(a) and 820(a) of different sizes are affixed to opposite ends of the grip 610. The guide edges 620(a) and 820(a) have curved designs to allow a curved strip of polish to be applied to the nail. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8, the width (x) of guide edge 620(a) is twice the width of guide edge 820(a). In other embodiments, a different ratio may be utilized to provide options for differences in digit sizes. Alternatively, the embodiment of FIG. 9 includes guide edges 620(b) and 820(b) of different sizes, which have a straight guide edge to allow a straight edge to be applied across the nail.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of the manicure guide 600 of FIG. 6 including two guide edges 620(a) and 620(b). In the embodiment of FIG. 10, guide edge 620(a) has a curved design and guide edge 620(b) has a straight design. While the embodiment of FIG. 10 shows that both guide edges 620(a) and 620(b) have the same width (x), other embodiments may include curved and straight guide edges of different sizes as illustrated in FIGS. 8-9.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of another exemplary embodiment of a manicure guide 1100 including rotating edge guides. FIG. 11 includes side and top views of the exemplary manicure guide 1100 including a grip 1110. One or more guide edge assemblies 1120(a) and/or 1120(b) affixed to the ends of the grip 1110. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the guide edge assemblies 1120(a) and 1120(b) include a curved guide edge 1130(a) and a straight guide edge 1130(b). Other embodiments may include two curved or two straight guide edges. In one embodiment, guide edges 1130(a) and 1130(b) include a flexible material 1133 attached to a backing layer 1136. The flexible material 1133 may be, but is not limited to, rubber, vinyl, or other suitable material to adjust to the size and curvature of the nail. In some embodiments, the flexible material 1133 is concave to provide a neat seal against a nail to be polished. The backing layer 1136 may be constructed from metal, plastic, or other suitable material.

In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the guide edge assemblies 1120(a) and 1120(b) are configured to rotate about attachment points 1140 to allow either the curved guide edge 1130(a) or the straight guide edge 1130(b) to extend from the end of the manicure guide 1100 during use. In some embodiments, guide edge assemblies 1120(a) and/or 1120(b) may be detachably affixed to the grip 1110 at the attachment points to allow for replacement of the guide edge assemblies. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the guide edge assemblies 1120(a) and 1120(b) have different sizes (e.g., different widths) similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 8-9. In other embodiments, guide edge assemblies of the same size may be provided.

After a desired guide edge has been extended from the end of the manicure guide 1100, the manicure guide 1100 is positioned so that only the tip of the toe and/or finger nail is exposed to receive polish as illustrated in FIG. 2. A slight recess 1139 may be provided in the backing layer 1136 to aid in applying pressure to the guide edge 1130(a) and/or 1130(b) for sealing the guide edge against the nail. Once the manicure guide 600 has been securely positioned, the user can apply polish to the tip of the nail in the French manicure fashion.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. 

1. An apparatus for French manicures comprising: a clamping mechanism configured to clamp around a digit of a person; and a first guide edge affixed to a first end of the clamping mechanism, where the first guide edge is aligned with a tip of a nail when the clamping mechanism is clamped onto the digit.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first guide edge has a curved edge.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first guide edge has a straight edge.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second guide edge affixed to a second end of the clamping mechanism, where the second guide edge is aligned with the tip of the nail when the clamping mechanism is clamped onto the digit in the opposite orientation.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first guide edge has a curved edge and the second guide edge has a straight edge.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first guide edge is permanently affixed to the clamping mechanism.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first guide edge is detachably affixed to the clamping mechanism.
 9. An apparatus for French manicures comprising: a grip configured to align with a digit of a person; and a first concave guide edge affixed to a first end of the grip, where the first concave guide edge is aligned with a tip of a nail when the grip is aligned with the digit.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first concave guide edge is curved.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a second concave guide edge affixed to a second end of the grip.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first and second concave guide edges have a curved edge.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first and second concave guide edges have different widths.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first concave guide edge has a curved edge and the second concave guide edge has a straight edge.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first guide edge is permanently affixed to the grip.
 16. An apparatus for French manicures comprising: a grip configured to align with a digit of a person; and a first guide edge assembly affixed to a first end of the grip, the first guide edge assembly comprising a first guide edge and a second guide edge, the first guide edge assembly configured to rotate to extend either the first guide edge or the second guide edge from the first end of the grip, where the extended guide edge is aligned with a tip of a nail when the grip is aligned with the digit.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first guide edge is curved and the second guide edge is straight.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first guide edge assembly is detachably affixed to the grip.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a second guide edge assembly affixed to a second end of the grip, the second guide edge assembly comprising a third guide edge and a fourth guide edge, the second guide edge assembly configured to rotate to extend either the third guide edge or the fourth guide edge from the second end of the grip.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first and second guide edge assemblies have different widths. 